“Transferable and Future Skills in Today’s Job Market” - Lucia Salto

“Transferable and Future
Skills in Today’s Job
Market”
30th April 2020Lucia Salto

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
My presentation is intended to
 Get a deeper insight into transferable
skills for researchers
 Focus on the value of these skills in today’s
job market
 Offer a particular focus on future skills
and professional profiles required by
employers
 Provide an overview on how to develop
new skills

PhD:
an academic and professional experience
The PhD is the highest level of University education awarded
following the conduct of an original research project of at least 3
years, the writing of a thesis and its defence in front of a jury of
experts. It constitutes a professional experience.

PhD:
an Academic and Professional Experience
The pool of skills -core competencies- shared by the majority of
PhDs regardless of their discipline can be used in many contexts
and helps them build a competitive professional profile.
Repackage the PhD: think it in terms of transferable skills
developed in doctoral training.
Transferable Skills

AWARENESS
 The potential of a PhD is often poorly understood by
employers and PhDs themselves.
 To increase the employability of doctoral graduates it is
vital to raise awareness of doctoral skills among
doctoral graduates and employers.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
a deeper insight
Benefits of a PhD

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
 Competencies acquired by Early Reserchers during their
doctoral training and not necessarily related to research.
 Transferable skills are any skills that you have learned in one
place that can be used in another.
 Transferable skills can be acquired in different contexts:
holding lectures, supervising students, running workshop, family, social
intercations, hobbies, volunteer work.

PhD task or activity
I wrote a 50,000 word thesis.
I had 3 supervisors.
I analysed loads of data.
Skills/Competencies
Ability to present and organize large
amounts of information in a clear
manner.
Negotiation skills.
Analysis of complex data and
presentation of emerging conclusions
and concepts.
https://www.findaphd.com/advice/doing/phd-non-academic-careers.aspx
I conducted interviews for my research
project.
Questionnaire design. Experience in
qualitative and/or quantitative
analysis. Sensitive to the needs of
others. Diplomacy and confidentiality.

PhD task or activity
I completed my PhD in three years.
I did a PhD
Conferences
Skills/Competencies
Ability to plan a project and deliver it
to agreed timelines.
Ability to work with minimum
supervision as well as part of a
team.
Event planning skills
https://www.findaphd.com/advice/doing/phd-non-academic-careers.aspx
Experiments or theory testing didn’t
work but I found out why and tried
again.
Problem-solving skills

My research group was
international or I spent some time
abroad for my research.
I took part in science
communication or public
engagement events such as science
festivals, visiting schools to explain
your research, etc.
I was in charge of a piece of
equipment or I set up a research
seminar series.
Ability to interact with colleagues
from diverse professional
backgrounds to successfully work
towards common goals.
Ability to communicate effectively to
a wide range of audiences.
Initiative and self-reliance.
PhD task or activity Skills/Competencies
I am able to understand scientific
Knowledke which can ben used in
a job search.

Interpersonal Skills
Organizational Skills
Research Competencies
Teamwork
Mentoring or supervising skills
Negotiating skills
Networking skills
Project and time management skills
Research management and leadership
Grant application writing skills
Knowledge of research methods and
technologies beyond the PhD project
Research ethics and integrity
OECD
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS CATEGORY Study
https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/transferable-skills-training-for-
researchers_9789264179721-en#page22

Communication Skills
Entreprise Skills
Cognitive Skills
Presentation written and oral skills
Public engagement
Teaching skills
Entreprenuership
Innovation
Commercialisation, Patent and
knowledge transfer
Creativity
Problem solving
OCSE
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS CATEGORY
https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/transferable-skills-
training-for-researchers_9789264179721-en#page22

DOCPRO ABG –Association B. Grégory, Paris
An Operational Tool to Track Skills
DocPro by ABG: a very helpful tool describing the 24 core competencies
developed in the course of doctoral training and it helps:
a) Recruiters to gain better understanding of the potential afforded by
doctoral training,
b) Heads of Doctoral Schools, PhD coordinators, career development
facilitators at university to better prepare PhD students for the job market.
PhD-holders, recruiters and academic advisors can speak the same language.
ABG: specialized in recruiting and career development
http://www.mydocpro.org/en/about-docpro

Enhancing Early-Career Researchers
Employability
 EURODOC Report Identifying Transferable Skills and Competencies to
Enhance Early-Career Researchers Employability and Competitiveness
is worth mentioning.
Skills matrix and infographic with nine different categories,
containing a total of 66 transferable skills and competences.

mindSET Project
European Core Curriculum in Transferable Skills for PhD Candidates in
Science, Engineering and Technology(SET). Technische Universität
Berlin
Changing Labour Market
Future Skills
 Technological Skills
 Digital Citizenship Skills
 Classical Skills creativity, entrepreneurial skills

FUTURE SKILLS
mindSET European Core Curriculum in Transferable Skills, for PhD Candidates in
Science, Engineering and Technology(SET)
Technische Universität Berlin
2018 TRENDING 2022
Analytical thinking and innovation Analytical thinking and innovation
Complex problem-solving Active learning and learning strategies
Critical thinking and analysis Creativity, originality and initiative
Active learning and learning strategies Technology design and programming
Creativity, originality and initiative Critical thinking and analysis
Attention to detail, trustworthiness Complex problem-solving
Emotional intelligence Leadership and social influence
Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation Emotional intelligence
Leadership and social influence Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
Coordination and time management Systems analysis and evaluation

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
acquired in other contexts
 In my military career I coordinated
the training and deployment of over
250 personnel to operations
abroad.
 Team leadership
 Project management
 Resource management
 Resilience

Establishing a common vocabulary between
Doctoral Graduates and companies that
could hire them.
SKILLS ARE AT THE HEART OF THE HIRING PROCESS

A Skills-Based Approach to the Labour Market
 Degrees are often outdated by the time they are
obtained.
 Rapid technological change, digitalization, raising
degrees of work complexity are transforming the labour
market.
Emergence of new kinds of jobs.

 Skills play an important role in private and public sectors.
They are the new «currency» for the labour market (World
Economic Forum).
 Soft skills are in great demand now:
combination of personality traits, behavior and social attitudes.

SOFT SKILLS
You can take them with you anywhere in the company and outside it.
Power skills, durable skills, human skills
 Creativity
 Time management
 Adaptabilty to rapid advancements in technology
 Leadership
 Problem-solving
Those skills allow people to collaborate, communicate effectively and
successfully manage conflicts.

Soft Skills/Future Skills
Soft’ skills will be 10X more important in a virtual/work-at-
home world. Team dynamics, individual growth, team
creativity will dominate effectiveness.
Tom Peters
Researcher, consultant, writer and management guru in the area of successful
business management practices

TRANSLATING SKILLS DEVELOPED
DURING A PhD
Academia Business
Academia and Business may seem poles apart but you may be surprised
at how portable skills developed in doctoral training are.

The Most Needed Transferable Skills
 Employability arises from a number of
competencies.
 Employers seek for a mix of intellectual, social
and organizational skills.

The Most Needed Transferable Skills

The investment made to gain a PhD will not be lost. A PhD can be
of great benefit for the wider community.
How Doctoral Training Responds to the Demand
of Labour Market.

Project Management
A Top Skill Sought After by Companies
Complex projects need to be well planned and efficiently
managed.
PhDs have managed research projects with limited budget
while working in an academic lab, and this can be
transferred to industry.

Team Work
An Essential Skill for Today’s Job Market
It is the necessary skill to engage in productive collaboration.
While working in academic research labs, PhDs and postdocs
often work as part of a team and, therefore, they can gain
experience in teamwork and collaboration.

Influencing and Negotiation Skills
Two Skills Directly Linked to the Labour Market Needs
In most business situations we are expected to negotiate.
PhDs are constantly using negotiation skills while convincing dissertation
committees about steps taken in a PhD research project.
They might have had to discuss the value of their research in a conference
whose audience had a different point of view.

Creative Problem-Solving
Skills for Today’s Job Market
Companies hire the ones who are able to quickly solve problems.
Candidate must be able to think laterally to find answers to pressing
problems and formulate workable solutions.
The techniques developed through carrying out a research project and
writing a thesis enable candidates to pick up new and complex
concepts quickly.

Adaptability and Flexibility
Employers tend to prefer candidates who are capable of
improvising to find a unique solution to existing problem.
PhDs have to adapt to new challenges. It is also likely that PhDs dealt
with multiple projects requiring different lab equipment.

Organizational Skills
Candidates will often be involved in multiple projects and
it will be important to prioritize their various duties and
designate adequate timelines to each of them.
Doctoral students are able to organize their work, from their
schedule to complex projects.

Communication Skills
Communication skills are essential –when on top positions- in industry:
professionals have to deliver presentations to explain new findings to decision
makers. There is high demand for those who can translate scientific
information into a message that can be understood by a broad range of both
internal and external target audiences.
Some of academic activities, such as interacting with undergraduates
through teaching, and delivering PowerPoint presentations for conferences
or graduates, will be helpful in developing the transferable skill of oral
communication.
Skills in scientific writing, developed during the PhD, will be applicable to a
series of responsibilities.

Strategic Palnning
Ability to be strategic is very valuable, where success depends
on long-term planning and the execution of complex innovation
projects.
Science PhDs have the know-how to act upon information and
plan multiple research projects based on constantly changing
feedbacks.

Relationship Building
Build and maintain relationship, use diplomacy, give and receive constructive
criticism, be tolerant and respectful, empathize with the others.
Those interpersonal skills help build teams with a strong foundation of
trust and accountability.
Developing an international perspective. Working with overseas colleagues is an
added value: add information on how things are done in other countries.

Emotional Intelligence/EI
A key ingredient in business environment
Emotional intelligence allows to produce positive results in difficult
working environments.
Developing EI will help assess people, predict chances of a possible
conflict, develop trust, and influence decision making in a professional
manner.

Entreprise Skills
They ecompass a number of things: commercial awareness, prioritisation,
decision making, innovative and original thinking, strategic thinking, working
independetly, communicating professionally.
These skills are sought after by employers in need of professionals able
to come up with new ideas to improve processes.

TEACHING SKILLS
 Designing, preparing and
delivering lectures
 Facilitating small group seminars
 Addressing peers at conferences
 One to one tuition and coaching
 Providing feedback and
assessment.
 Delivering training and lectures
 Identifying training needs for
individuals and groups
 Designing training interventions
involving external suppliers.

Interviews with HR Professionals, Head
Hunters, Recruiters, AI Experts
Skills in great demand in business
areas (sales, management
consulting, human resources,
public relations, facilities
management, procurement and
so on).
 Line Management (hiring,
developing, motivating and assessing
performance)
 Financial and resource management
 Marketing (e.g. student recruitment).
 Project Management

EMPLOYERS WANT EMPLOYEES WITH
What competencies are important to the organizational culture?
Problem solving
Technical/subject expertise
Creativity
Collaboration
Communication
Innovation
Research skills
Emotional intelligence
Project management
Self-organization
Strategic thinking
Leadership
Adaptability
Self-organization
Take decisions

Current Industry Trends
A Combination of Entrepreneurial Thinking and
Creativity
 Hybrid competence profiles and technical expertise become the foundation of
Employability
Most required future skills:
Information Processing Entreprenurial Mindset
Creative Problem Solving Team work
Management Coordination
Working independently

WHAT KIND OF JOBS ARE AVAILABLE TO
RESEARCHERS OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIA?
 Research for external bodies
 Function Manager –e.g. Production
Manager, HR Manager, Business
Development Manager
 Research/ Science policy manager or
developer
 Public Science Engagement
 Health professional
 Teaching
 Private Tutoring for individuals and
groups and Guest Lecturing
 Consultancy
 ICT
 Engineering professional
 External Examination setting and
Assessment (for professional
bodies as well as academic boards)
 Journalist or media professional
 Law professional
 Training and Development
 Academic Publishing (including
writing school and undergraduate
textbooks)

Future Skills: Most Seeked Top Professional
Profiles
 Industry Career Application Scientist
 Quantitative Analyst
 Science Public Policy Advisor
 Product Manager
 Clinical Trials Project Manager
 Competitive Intelligence Analyst
 Business Development Manager
 Intellectual Property Lawyer

Future Skills: most seeked top professional
profiles
 Technical Sales Specialist. Teaching and Presentation Skills are essential in this
case.
 Medical Science Liaison. Relevant scientific knowledge is required for this
position.
 Research Analyst in Venture Capital
 Market Research Analyst
 Technology Transfer Officer
 Climate Change Expert
 Digital Forensic Expert
 Science Editor
 Corporate Entrepreneur

Careers in Medical Communication
 Medical writer is a communication
profession, accessible to people with a
solid scientific background. It is a
"natural" option for PhDs interested in a
career far from research. Participating as
exhibitor in medical congresses or during
the meeting of patients associations,
monitoring information….
 Required skills: to enjoy writing and
communicating in English, and to be very
rigorous.

Original Jobs for PhDs
Alumni Project, University of Torino
 Science Communication: science popularization, graphic design,
event management, communication.
 Research Grant Manager: dealing with communication
activities and the design of management tools for researchers.
 Science Editor: education specialists (High school textbook)
 Digital Forensic Expert
 Museum Manager

For the following jobs PhD is not
necessarily a prerequisite, but most
definitely an asset.

The Researcher Entrepreneur
Any good scientific researcher has both the capacity and
most of the critical skills necessary to become a good
entrepreneur. Many of the basic skills are common to
both worlds: both good researchers and good
entreprenuers take the inititiative and are innovators.
“The Researcher Entrepreneur” , by G. Vekinis

PhDs: Potential Entreprenuers
.
 Intrinsic motivation/Self-efficacy/
Optimism.
 As entrepreneurs, PhDs must truly
believe in their thesis (idea). They
have to be optimist about the
outcomes of their research. Today,
researchers, as entrepreneurs, are
facing wild competition and
changing dynamics. They have to be
competitive and creative.

The role of Higher Institutions
 PhDs are not sufficiently
equipped with those skills
which are the standard
requirements sought by
employers.
.
 Development of
trainings in
"transferable skills"
and the setting up
of curricula in this
field.

DEVELOPING SKILLS
Professional Development

HOW TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS
 Observing other people in a company excelling in soft
skills.
 Taking on more responsibilities at work.
 Taking on-line soft skills courses.
 Extra curricular activities enable PhDs to develop their
network and it is appreciated by recruiters.
 Non professional experience enable PhDs to gain skills.
 Writing a blog demonstrates writing skills.

 Join a society could give them experiences in team work,
planning meetings, hosting seminars.
 Departmental opportunities: PhDs could be a tutor or lab
demonstrator.
 Volunteering
 Public outreach: to communicate their work to the
general public . This could include university festivals and
open day programmes…

 A chat with university careers service, or postgrad/early
career research support team.
 Networking: reach out to people who may be able to help
them, friends, mentors, supervisors or colleagues
 Planning any symposiums or events within the department.
This shows great initiative.
 The PhD: PhD itself is already a work experience. This is
where PhDs learn to be a good team worker and colleague
along with a host of other skills.

TEN BEST WEBSITES FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT
 COURSERA https://www.coursera.org/
 KOUDETAT 40 Hours video on entrepreneurship. A must to develop
your entrepeneurial culture. Free of charge
http://www.koudetatondemand.co/
 CODEACADEMY https://www.codecademy.com/
 DATAMONKEY about big data http://datamonkey.pro/
 HOOTSHUTTLE ACADEMY about social media marketing, social
network
https://education.hootsuite.com/collections?category=courses

TEN BEST WEBSITES FOR YOUR SELF-IMPROVEMENT
 KOOBER digital skills https://discover.koober.com/us
 HIGHBROW 5 min. a day (computer science, psychology)
https://gohighbrow.com/
 DIGITAL ACTIVE PARGOOGLE Digital Marketing
https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/ateliersnumeriques
 GUIDES Crowdsourcing https://guides.co/
 LIFEHACKER https://lifehacker.com/

GOOD PRACTCISES
University of Turin
A quick overview of our good practices.
 Valorizing our PhDs
 Raising awareness of the value of their skills
 Developing a valuable network for their professional
development
 Promoting doctoral careers among Recruiters
 Increasing their Employability
 Tracking their postdoctoral career path (Almalaurea and our
Career Tracking project)

DEVELOPMENT OF
STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIPS FOR
JOINT INITIATIVES
TO VALORIZE OUR
PhDs
Since 2014
Participation to COOPERA, a funding program of the
Rhône-Alpes Region, in partnership with:
 the Université de Lyon coordinating the project;
 the Association of Western Universities in
Switzerland/CUSO
Outcomes:
 a joint publication on the small innovative
entreprises and on the university systems of our
partner universities;
 five editions of French-Italian-Swiss cross border
workshopsto prepare the next professional step of
our PhDs (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
Talent Management

Intellectual
Property
courses
Workshops
on the
impact of AI
on the labour
market
Communication
skills courses
Digital Skills
courses
Innovation and
Entrepreneurial
Thinking
CAREER COACHING
Live Video Job
Interview Training
for PhDs
Transferable
skills
workshops
Simulation of job
interviews with HR
professionals.
Fundraising
courses
DIGITAL SKILLS
Our Activities to Help our PhDs to Prepare their Postdoc in Non-
Academic Contexts.
Workshops
on how to
write a CV

Career Day for PhDs (2015,2016 and 2017) to promote
postdoctoral career opportunities.
Round tables with our Alumni on top positions
Panel discussions with European Recruiters of PhDs
Business Dinners with Italian and foreign Recruiters and
simulated job interviews with HR professionals
Our Activities to Help our PhDs to Prepare their Postdoc in Non-
Academic Contexts.

Targeted half day sessions focusing on career
development and career options, inviting HR professionals,
experienced trainers, company representatives, CEO, head
hunters etc.
Half day sessions with professionals from DAAD, Campus
France, British General Consulate, Québec Delegation
focusing on postdoctoral career opportunities: funding
schemes and mobility abroad.
Our Activities to Help our PhDs to Prepare their
Postdoc in Non-Academic Contexts.




PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Track the career and the
employability, mobility, type of
contract, type of position of our
PhD holders in the last 10 years.
Create a database with updated
contact emails and current
positions of our PhD Graduates
Promote career development and
monitor career advancement.
Demonstrate the attractiveness and
quality of research careers.
Appreciate the broad variety
of alternative careers.
CAREER TRACKING of our PhD Holders
A proj ect funded by Fondazione C RT

3
4
1
2
CAREER
TRACKING OF
OUR PhD
HOLDERS
Best practices transfer from
the European Science
Foundation, the University of
Lyon, Lausanne, Milano
Bicocca.
Launch of a Survey.
Collection and
reorganization of all contact
emails of our PhD Graduates
from 2007 up to now.
LinkedIn “Platform” after our
contact request. Collection of
a great number of
information on their
professional profiles.
Creation of a data base
and preparation of all
statistical reports.

ALMALAUREA
Career Monitoring Survey for PhD Graduates at Italian level
ALMALAUREA, University Consortium
By answering the annual Survey, PhD Graduates will help Doctoral
Schools to improve their education, guidance and career
development activities.
The survey also examines the employment level and the level of
satisfaction of our Doctoral Graduates.
ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of the Universities and
Research Institutes) started last January 2019 national surveys to
evaluate the degree of satisfaction of PhD Graduates and the quality and
characteristics of the Italian Ph.D. programs.

Overview of Information and Resources
 EURODOC (European Council for Doctoral Candidates) Skills Report von
Eurodoc, “Identifying and Documenting Transferable Skills and
Competences to Enhance Early Career Researchers Employability and
Competitiveness”
 ABG has also recently published a very interesting work on transferable
skills in the form of interviews conducted to PhD Graduates regarded as
"successful Career Transition stories“
https://www.abg.asso.fr/en/vue/career-paths-and-professions
 DOCPRO, ABG
 Future and transferable skills are the focus of MINDSET PROJECT, Technical
University of Berlin

 EUA/CDE is regularly publishing documents on this topic.
 ADOC Talent Management, “The Core Competences of PhD” by B.
Durette, M. Fournier, M. Lafon
 OECD, Transferable Skills Training for Researchers
 VITAE UK provides relevant information on this topic
Vitae Research Development Framework
 “The Researcher Entreprenuer. Best practices for successful
technological entrepreneurship” by George Vekinis.
 Cheeky Scientist Association

Why is it not a 'failure' to leave academia ?
 Why is it not a 'failure' to leave academia ?
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05838-y
 PhD Competencies and Employment Trends in Canada
https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/c19fb8_4778cc1555784d3a965195ba18de8b
73.pdf
 How to Improve your CV while on your PhD
https://phdlife.warwick.ac.uk/2016/01/13/how-to-improve-your-cv-while-
on-your-phd/
 Ten Career Paths for PhDs jobs.ak.uk
 MY MOOC PhD Dooc , annual MOOC on transferable skills, career
development for PhDs

Why is it not a 'failure' to leave academia ?
Researching Career Solutions
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2016/05/09/applying-
research-skills-explore-careers-essay
How to Write a PhD Elevator Pitch
https://academicpositions.be/career-advice/how-to-write-an-elevator-
pitch
How to Write a CV for Roles outside Academia
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-
college/administration-and-support-services/careers-
service/public/resources/handouts/series/How-to-write-a-CV-
for-roles-outside-academia-no-cropmarks.pdf
Why Are PhDs Potential Entreprenuers?
https://medium.com/@mangelferrero/why-phds-are-potential-
entrepreneurs-df3dec2c544c

Lucia Salto
Research Dep. University of Turin
lucia.salto@unito.it
dottoriphd@unito.it
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION

“Transferable and Future Skills in Today’s Job Market” - Lucia Salto

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“Transferable and Future Skills in Today’s Job Market” - Lucia Salto